A year after the pandemic temporarily shut down the NHL, a handful of roadblocks remain to handing out the Stanley Cup again this season 鈥� including the U.S.-Canada border.
The border remains closed to nonessential travel, an issue the NHL addressed before the 2021 season began in January by realigning its divisions. All seven teams in the North Division are based in Canada and they play against only each other through the first two rounds of the post-season.
But the league has a decision looming on what to do when a Canadian team faces a U.S. opponent in the third round of the playoffs. Talks are ongoing with Canadian government officials, though nothing needs to be settled yet since cross-border play won鈥檛 happen until mid-June.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a little bit of time to deal with this,鈥� Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said during a video interview Thursday. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 certainly promise any result, and we鈥檒l work through the process and we鈥檒l see what the result is and we鈥檒l respond appropriately. But in terms of timeline, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any kind of firm deadline that we have to meet to accomplish a change in plans if that鈥檚 necessary.鈥�
One possibility includes the North Division champion that reaches the league鈥檚 final four playing its 鈥渉ome鈥� games in a U.S. city. Or there could be some type of modified quarantine when teams cross the border.
Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL isn鈥檛 planning to hold the playoffs in any kind of a bubble like it did in Toronto and Edmonton last year but it could do something similar to that if necessary to accommodate Canadian regulations.
鈥淲e are going to try and maintain our flexibility and our agility,鈥� Bettman said, 鈥渁nd we will be respectful of the process.鈥�
The league has also said it won鈥檛 jump the line for vaccines, but some machinations are ongoing about what could happen once inoculations are available to the general public. D
鈥淟ike everything else, it鈥檚 kind of a work in progress, and I think it鈥檚 going to evolve in different stages based on the introduction of the vaccine,鈥� said Daly, who believes several players with pre-existing conditions have already been vaccinated. 鈥淎t some point we鈥檒l get into a position, I would think and I would hope, where there鈥檚 widespread vaccination. I think our response to that will be in stages, as well, as to what that means and how we evolve our protocols.鈥�
Those protocols have already changed this season, helping to cut the number of players on the COVID-19 protocol list from a season-high 59 on Feb. 12 to four on Wednesday. A total of 138 players have spent at least one day on the list. A total of 35 games have been postponed for virus-related reasons.
鈥淲e鈥檝e navigated through the first two months of this season under extremely challenging conditions, and we鈥檝e been on this every day with the medical experts and enhancing our protocols, and it鈥檚 gotten us to a better place,鈥� Bettman said.
In matters more in the NHL鈥檚 control, Daly said the draft 鈥渕ore likely than not鈥� will go on as scheduled July 23-24, despite concerns from some team executives about many prospects not playing this season.
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AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed.
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
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